


Sensualist

by TheaNishimori



Category: Star Trek, Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies), Star Trek: The Original Series
Genre: Ears, Fluff, M/M, Vulcan Biology, in which Jim finally gets a backrub
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-15
Updated: 2018-08-15
Packaged: 2019-06-27 14:55:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,970
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15687693
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheaNishimori/pseuds/TheaNishimori
Summary: Short story to celebrate my 800th follower on tumblr (after deleting all the porn bots). Fluffy shore leave drabble. Much love to saratsuzuki! <3 <3 <3





	Sensualist

The away team had beamed down to confirm the suitability of the planet for shore leave, which it indeed seemed to be very suitable for – lush plant life, ocean salinity similar to that of Earth, sandy beaches, and no sapient life forms whose evolution they might disturb. Spock had just reported the all clear to the captain when he heard McCoy speak in an unusually charming tone.

“Well, hello there, little fella!”

Turning hastily, fearing that perhaps their sensors had been mistaken (again) about the lack of indigenous life, Spock saw that the doctor was addressing a small animal – perhaps 5 kilograms or so – perched in the branches of a nearby tree. He was reaching out to it slowly.

“Doctor! It may be dangerous!”

“Aw, Spock, it’s just curious. Safe to say it’s never seen humans before.”

As McCoy’s hand drew near, the creature also extended its paw.

“Those claws could easily injure your skin, Doctor.”

“But I’m betting it won’t,” McCoy responded softly. The creature touched McCoy’s fingers with the pads of its paw for a long moment before withdrawing its hand. “See? Just curious. Just wonderin’ who or what we are….”

“Doctor,” Spock said, unable to suppress his exasperation entirely, “you should have run a scan to confirm that it does not carry any contagious diseases _before_ you made contact with it.”

“All right, all right – I’m running a scan now…. There! No viral or bacterial infections. It’s a perfectly healthy specimen. And a cute little bugger too… aren’t you?”

The creature had come down the trunk of the tree a few centimeters, getting closer to McCoy, and extended its paw again. McCoy took it gently, a smile warming his features.

“We’re just here to visit,” he told the creature as though it could understand him. “We’ve come from a long way away and just want to rest for a bit. Would that be all right? I promise we won’t make a mess. We just want to enjoy your beautiful home for a couple of days.”

To Spock’s astonishment, the creature removed its other paw from the tree and reached out for McCoy, and when McCoy responded by picking it up off the tree, it came willingly.

“Boy, you’re sure curious! You just want to see what we’re all about, don’t you?” McCoy laughed as the creature’s paws roamed over his uniform and his hair. “Just a curious little critter!”

Before Spock could advise him of the inadvisability of holding a native animal – with claws over four centimeters long – a chorus of croaks came from the canopy of the forest. The creature in McCoy’s arms croaked back, and soon a flock of the creatures were shimmying down the trees, loping over the ground on all fours to investigate the humanoids. McCoy carefully sat down cross-legged, still holding the creature, then balanced it on his knee.

“There, now… what do y’all think?” he said with a chuckle, unperturbed when others of the flock climbed and pawed over him, cooing in great excitement. “Do I look funny to you? Well, you look a little funny to me – with those big floppy ears and prehensile tails!”

Spock began running more scans of them with his tricorder but was startled when a few of them began climbing his legs.

“Uh… Doctor…” he began without really knowing what he wanted to say.

“Just let them look you over,” McCoy replied. “It’s only fair, since we’ve scanned them. They just want to know more about you.”

Spock stood stock still, not wanting to cause any unwanted reaction from them. One creature perched on his shoulder and gently touched his face with its pads, carefully keeping its claws drawn back to avoid scratching him.

“They do seem to be… non-aggressive,” Spock remarked at last.

“And social,” McCoy added, pointing to a cluster of them sitting near him. “Look, they’re grooming each other – like monkeys on Earth. They probably have a pretty well-defined social structure. Oh, look! Babies!”

Spock breathed a silent sigh of relief when the creatures seemed to lose interest in him and clambered off, but he was amazed to see the whole flock congregating around the doctor – even bringing their young close enough for him to touch.

“Wow, you guys sure are a friendly bunch,” McCoy was saying, his blue eyes twinkling. “I think my friends are gonna be thrilled to meet all of you. I hope you like them too.”

There was a whirring in the air as the first group of crewmen arrived for shore leave. Two of them cried out in delight and approached the flock of creatures.

“They’re adorable!” a young ensign commented. “What should we call them?”

“Maybe we should ask for suggestions and take a vote,” McCoy said. “They really are the sweetest things.”

“This is the best shore leave ever!” a yeoman said happily as she sprawled on the ground and was quickly covered with the creatures.

 

* * *

 

Spock had other business to attend to back on the ship, but when the captain hailed him and ordered him to take some shore leave, he had to comply. He beamed down near the beach where the majority of leave-takers had set up an impromptu resort, complete with lounge chairs and a small bar. Kirk waved him over to where he lay on a beach towel with two of the tiny creatures sleeping beside him.

“Mr. Spock! Welcome to paradise,” he said with a smile.

“I am glad to see that you are enjoying yourself, Captain.”

“And I would be glad to see _you_ enjoy yourself too, Spock. Pull up a chair and stay a while.”

Spock did so because he didn’t really know what else to do. He noted that McCoy was sitting in the shade of a colorful parasol, not far away, doing something with a dozen of the creatures sprawled around him. Kirk followed his gaze and laughed.

“Bones has the magic touch, it seems. He noticed that they were rubbing each other behind the ears and tried it himself – now they can’t get enough of him! And he’s discovered that they make a purring sound when they’re extremely happy.”

“Indeed. Perhaps he should consider more extensive studies in exobiology.”

“I think he’s doing quite well as it is.”

While they watched, McCoy set aside the creature he’d been working on – now limp and relaxed as a wet noodle – then picked up another one that had been eagerly awaiting its turn. Setting it on his knee, he moved his hands gently but methodically, massaging the creature’s head behind its large ears until its purrs filled the air, then rubbing the backs of its ears outward until the purrs turned to blissful coos and finally whimpers. Once it was completely quiet, comatose with pleasure, he set it aside on the beach towel before standing up to stretch himself. Seeing Kirk and Spock looking at him, he ambled over.

“Magic hands,” he said, twiddling his fingers in the air proudly. “Not too strong, not too soft – _juuust_ right!”

“You’re a real hit, all right,” Kirk laughed. “Maybe you should prescribe massage therapy more often for your _human_ patients.”

“Jim, I think that’s the best idea you’ve had in quite a while. And just for that, you’re up first!”

“Wait, what–?”

“Take your shirt off, flip yourself over, and prepare to be _relaxed_.”

“Oh, well… if you insist….”

“I insist!”

Kirk put up no more resistance than that and was soon being kneaded like a lump of dough – very happy dough, from the moans and sighs emanating from him. Spock was wordlessly observing the doctor’s technique from his vantage point, sitting stiffly on the lounge chair, until McCoy glanced up at him with a wicked grin.

“You’re next, Spock – doctor’s orders!”

Spock opened his mouth as though to retort, then slowly closed it. McCoy looked up again, surprised by his silence.

“What? No objections or… logical arguments?”

“I have found that… logical arguments are mostly ineffective in persuading you,” Spock responded, “and as you have demanded my acquiescence by invoking your medical authority, I suspect any protests would be futile.”

“Well look at that!” McCoy said with delight. “He _can_ be taught!” The doctor rubbed up and down Kirk’s back one last time, on either side of his spine, then patted him affectionately. “Take it easy for a while, Jim. Just let your muscles relax for a bit.”

“Mm-hmph…” Kirk mumbled, his face buried in the towel.

“All right, then – let’s get you a beach towel too,” McCoy told Spock. “Go ahead and take your top off while I fetch one.”

Spock did as ordered, then submissively lay on his stomach when the doctor spread out the towel and straddled his hips. He was tense when McCoy first began working on his shoulders, but his body began to relax as McCoy gently but firmly rubbed his thumbs into the Vulcan’s pressure points.

“Doctor…” he said after a few minutes, his voice somewhat muffled by the towel, “may I make a request?”

“Sure, Spock – do you have any sore spots?”

“Not… sore, precisely, but… if you are amenable… if you would work on the… the areas near where my ears are attached?”

“Oh, here? Like this?”

McCoy was startled when he heard a low moan, apparently uttered by Spock.

“Y-Yes,” he managed to answer, albeit breathlessly.

“Why, Spock…” McCoy said, a smile spreading across his face, “I’ve always wondered if your pointy ears were more sensitive than a Human’s…. Guess they really are, huh?”

“On average… Vulcan skin has between three to five times the quantity of nerve receptors as Human skin,” Spock replied. “Around the ears, however… there are nearly seven times the amount of nerve receptors.”

“Well… I’ll have to be extra careful with them, won’t I?” McCoy said before slowly running his fingers over the edge of Spock’s ears, all the way to the tip, with a feather-light touch. He felt Spock shiver. “Is that good?”

Spock’s voice was raspy and ragged when he answered, “That is… quite… stimulating.”

“In a _good_ way?” McCoy asked, teasing, without stopping his ministrations. He was startled when Spock began to tremble under him.

“Y-Yes,” was all Spock could manage.

After a few more delicate passes up and down his ears, McCoy began rubbing along the base of the ears – much like he had been doing with the native creatures – and was rewarded by the sound of helpless moans and gasps coming from Spock.

“Well, well, well,” McCoy whispered to himself. “Isn’t this… _fascinating_.”

He continued rubbing all around the ears, then the ears themselves, finding tender areas that made Spock groan with pleasure. Finally he began pulling on the lobes, stretching them with his thumbs while rubbing Spock’s jawline with his fingers, and was shocked to hear an actual _purr_ emanate from deep within Spock’s torso.

“Was that… _you_ , Spock?” he asked in surprise, pausing for a moment.

“I… regret to inform you…” Spock began, but when McCoy started rubbing his lobes again, his words devolved into all-out purring. Even Kirk roused himself at the sound.

“Is that…?” Kirk asked.

“Apparently,” McCoy confirmed, not letting up on massaging the Vulcan’s ears.

“That’s… amazing,” Kirk said, then smiled. “You really _do_ have the magic touch, Bones!”

“Surgeon’s hands,” McCoy said proudly. He continued rubbing Spock’s sensitive areas until the purrs subsided into peaceful snores.

“Asleep?” Kirk asked in a whisper.

McCoy nodded, then moved away from his completely relaxed patient. He beckoned to Kirk to walk with him to the bar, and after they had gotten a drink, he remarked, “If I’d known that’s all it takes to shut him up, I would’ve done it years ago!”

Kirk laughed. “Well, now that you know, you’ll need to prescribe it rather often, don’t you think?”

“Indubitably,” McCoy answered, clinking their glasses together.


End file.
